A Planet That Wasn’t: Uncovering the True Nature of 42 Draconis b

A 2009 discovery of a planet orbiting the giant star 42 Draconis was overturned by new data. Long-term measurements revealed that the original signal weakened over time and matched stellar brightness variations, indicating it was caused by stellar activity, not a planet. The case highlights the difficulty of confirming planets around giant stars and the importance of long-term monitoring.